Metal spike shoots into teen's brain

A young man from Penrose survives an incredible head wound. A metal pin from a roto-tiller shot into the 19 year old's brain.

Chris Clear's unbeliveable story starts in April. His mom Dawn says, "It's changed his life, because of what happened." As a volunteer firefighter in Penrose, his free time was spent saving lives.

That was, until the accident. He was helping a friend move a roto-tiller, when something snapped. Chris says, "At first, it just felt like a rock hit me in the face. It didn't feel like anything went into my head, just a rock hit me."

His mom Dawn say his nose bleeding profusely. She says, "He said, do you think this is bad. I said yea, it looks bad. I think your nose is broke."

Chris says he went to St. Thomas Moore Hospital in Canon City. He says the pain shifted from his nose, to the back of his neck. So the X-ray was focused on his neck. Dawn says, "They just sent him home. They said it was a cervical sprain".

The pain got worse. Dawn says Chris was very tired, and started vomiting. Chris says, "It hurt real bad. When I turned in either direction, leaning back, leaning forward. If I looked down it would hurt real bad. If I leaned back the pain got a lot worse."

It was during their second trip to the hospital, that Dawn learned what was causing that pain. She says, "If he went forward, the pin would move forward. If he would lay down, the pin would sink down."

That's right. A large metal pin from the roto-tiller was lodged in his brain. It was that, not a rock, that hit him. Chris describes how it went in. He says the blunt end of the large pin shot in through his nose. The pin went right past his eye socket, and lodged in the back of his brain.

Dawn was at home when she got the news from Chris' father. She says, "He said you need to sit down. He said Chris has a metal pin in his brain. My knees buckled, and I just hit the floor."

An ambulance rushed Chris and his Dawn to a hospital in Aurora. Dawn was given a grim diagnosis. She says, "Death was number one. We knew he wasn't going to come out of it. Paralysis, mobility, speech."

Luckily, the pin just missed several major arteries. Chris was in surgery for 9 hours. Dawn says, "It was like we were in a movie. The double doors opened up, and the doctor was holding the pin like this."

Two months later, Chris is working again as a volunteer firefighter. He's also training to be an EMT. Dawn says, "that's the second miracle."

Chris says he feels fine. There's not even a scar, but he has kept the pin. Chris also says if you touch his scar, his front teeth go numb. His mom says his tastes have also changed. She says he had a real sweet tooth before, but not so much now. Those seem to be the only lasting effects.

Chris had no insurance when the accident happened. His family set up a website. If you purchase anything there, most of the money will go towards his medical bills. The rest will go to the Penrose Volunteer Fire Department. To get there, just click on this link: Chris Clear